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Thoughts on Season ONE of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars"

So, as I've said before, I'm binge watching all the seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars before I watch the final season. I never got a chance to watch the first four seasons until now and I just completed watching the first season. Please note that I'm kind of live blogging while watching and there are some SPOILERS involved. If you haven't watched this season yet, please wait until you have.

Here are some thoughts:

The first episode "Ambush" was exactly the Yoda that I want to see on the screen. I was disappointed in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones when Yoda used speed and agility to fight Count Dooku. I always feel like Yoda would use the Force in a more thoughtful way. And, in "Ambush" I felt I got that Yoda back. Yay!

Okay, I get who General Grievous is now. LOL!

Yeah, still not a Jar Jar fan...

I like how this season had some winks and nods to the original trilogy. If I'm not mistaken, some of the dialogue actually comes from the movies. I recall an episode in which two of the clones have a conversation similar to Han Solo has with Chewbacca.

You mean to say that the Jedi actually have personalities, too? LOL! But, seriously, another one of my complaints about the prequel trilogy was that, with the exception of a few, it treated the Jedi like yet another group of extras for massive battle scenes. It was so nice to be able to get to know the Jedi beyond Obi-Wan, Anakin, Mace and Yoda. I got a better sense of who Plo-Kloon, Ayala Secura, Kit Fisto and Luminara Unduli in this first season than I did in either Attack of the Clones or Revenge of the Sith.

I am also glad to have been able to see the home worlds of some of the alien races we've come to know and love through the years. My favorite episode was "Trespass" just because I got to learn more about the Talz. When I was younger and watched Star Wars for the first time, I remember seeing a Talz for the first time in the Cantina scene and just wanting to know more about this creature. I remember wanting to take him home as a pet. So, to see the Talz featured was just a delight for me!

I love Asajj Ventress's voice. Nikka Futterman's delivery is just a delight to listen to. She's so wicked and evil.

It was really amazing to me to see a bunch of characters basically that looked and sounded the same (I'm talking about the clone troopers) be so fleshed out and have their own personalities. The scene can involve several of them, yet it feels like they are all completely different in some way. It's amazing and impressive. I'm not sure I love the names of some of them, like Slick and Boil. Just sounds too cartoony. But, a minor quibble given the fact that they've given such life to these clone troopers. And, it's interesting to see some of them struggle with being clones designed for war. In the episode "The Hidden Enemy," we see signs of the clones questioning their purpose. While this season still feels it tries to target a younger audiences, I was impressed with this more mature theme over the ethics of cloning.

Another one of my favorite episodes was "Innocents of Ryloth" in which Boil and Waxer find an young Twi'lek orphaned by the Separatist invasion. This episode made me really appreciate the fact that allowing the Clone Wars to be played out in serial form could allow for exploration of the effects of war. And, I love that it's two clone troopers (and not Jedi) that find the orphan. Given that they were bred to be soldiers to fight, I like the fact that they got to experience in a visceral way how it's not just about the battle, but there are lives involved.

I also enjoyed seeing a bit of the maturation of Ahsoka Tano. "Storm Over Ryloth" was a great episode in which she learns the consequences of some of her impulsiveness.

I loved the last episode for the introduction of Cad Bane which looks like he'll be an amazing villain and bounty hunter. But, why the return of Ziro the Hutt?!?! Again, I don't get why he sounds like Truman Capote. Not that I have a problem with Truman Capote's voice. Just not on a Hutt. Also, was it just me or did the ending seem anti-climactic for a season finale?